


Curses Aren't For Us

by sincline



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: I think it was good for my first time, I've never written in second person, Warning: outsider's pov but narration in second person, but - Freeform, let me not see any Tony antis on here please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 21:59:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16395863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincline/pseuds/sincline
Summary: Demons run and hide when a good man goes to war.





	Curses Aren't For Us

Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there! Let me get that for you! It's fucking cold, innit? Haven't seen that in ages. 'Twas always sunning in that son of a bitch we were stuck in. You're not from there, are you? You stayed here.

Where are we? We're in this empty train station, waiting for them to take us back home. At least I hope that's where they'll take us. I would like to see my Millie again. Tell me, did the world go to hell after they turned to dust? 

How did we come back? We were stuck. It was an endless place and we were all there, and we fit. The entire had universe in one place. It's fucking big, I gotta say! And orange. It's a bloody sunset all the time there. Don't think I'll ever ask Millie to want to see one again. Years in that place, I tell you. Drives ya crazy. I'll tell you everything, just don't mind me rambling here and there. 

First, everyone started appearing. The place was full within minutes. It was pandemonium. People woulda died getting trampled if they already weren't dead. No, they couldn't die. Their limbs would crawl back and sew themselves back together. I saw a girl crying while she watched her arm crawl back to her. Didn't hurt, I suppose, but it was traumatizing. She was a little thing. Couldn't've been any older than my Millie. We went in groups after a while. We didn't need no water, or food, or cleaning up. It felt pure, some would say. Like higher existence, the big men say. Fucking crazy if you ask me.

Ah, the story, yes. T'was a while before we had anything. Then a funky little man appeared. Maybe I was hallucinating. Almost driven mad, we all were. Some went mad, the ones that got stranded. Stayed away for too long. They were yellin’ stuff. Stuff only they could see. Some were screaming names, asking for forgiveness or some shit. The place is crazy. 

What happened to the man? Yes, the man, ah. He could shrink and grow back like some magic witch shit right there. My mama had a friend who did that. Never turned out well for her. There was something crazy ‘bout him, though, that man. Was lookin’ for some “hope”. Crazy, just like the rest of 'em, I'd say.

He started coming in regular, and then he came in big once. Looked like some sort of freak portal he opened. This woman stepped in and did some mojo. They were talking lots. They were from earth, from around here. They were talking and then they went away. The next time they brought people. You know the director, don't you? For the Avengers group? They live in New York. It's like they don't see problems with the rest of the country. Only in that small, crowded city of theirs. That's what I used to think.

The director stepped in, and the Captain. I'm sure you know the Captain. Everyone does. He was big in my day. Still must be plenty big, I'm sure. The woman said it'd been three years since we went. Then the director stepped out of his armor. Red and gold, what a beauty it was. With wings. Some crazy woman was certain he was some angel of the Lord. She was a bit crazy driven. But then, weren't we all?

He seemed to be looking for something, the director. I knew him. Seen him on the telly plenty. He's nothing like that, I tell. The cameras get the worst, ya know. Never seen a man more broken. His face was straight, see, but his eyes betrayed a thousand things. Something about that man, there was, the director. That's not what they used to call him.

Two years ago, you say? And not the Avengers? What did he direct then? The “Extraction Unit”? Sounds dangerous. It was. It did turn out to be. They all called him the director. So do I. Never had much to talk about him before. Never an opinion. Just saw him on the telly. The funky man, and the powerful woman and the Captain. Oh, the Captain. He looked sorrowful. Was plenty rude to the director. Said he didn't agree with him. Said it shouldn't be this way. Didn't know what he was on about till later. 

So the director was looking for something. Someone. A boy. They found him. The woman did. She was so powerful, t'was radiating off her. The crazy woman I mentioned called her a goddess. The boy wore red and blue, and a tiny bit of gold coloring on whatever it was he wore. He looked so happy to see the director. You know, given the director's previous reputation, wouldn't surprise me if that was his son. 

The director wept. I'd never seen a man cry like that before. Never seen one so broken. There was something snapped inside the director, I tell you. The Captain started weepin’. Wasn't a pretty sight. Seeing a man so great, wiping his streaming face. He kept apologizing. Tried to say it should be him. The director wouldn't listen. He paid no attention. The boy seemed confused. The director smiled. He'd cried his eyes and his heart out and he fucking smiled. It was fucking with my head. Seeing those men like that. So real. Not what the papers say. The woman brought out another man. I swear I'd seen him before. But so young… no, I musta been hallucinating. 

The new man brought out a suitcase. He was cold in the face, that one. The director stiffened. The boy was still confused. Poor dear, I don't think they told him. The Captain stepped ahead, started to lead the boy away. The boy won't budge. He was stronger than the Captain, it seemed. The Captain pleaded and then the boy turned to look at the director. Narrowed his eyes. The new man opened his suitcase. The glow from the box was resonating with the sunset colors. The sun on the horizon of this place started pulsing and shit. Fucking scary if you ask me. The boy saw what it was. It musta been horrible. I'm glad we didn't see, or know what was in there. These things aren't for people like us, I tell you. The director wouldn't meet the boy’s eyes. 

“A soul for a soul,” the new man said. The boy's eye widened, like he'd realized something. These things aren't for us, boy, I'll tell you that. We're simple people. Beyond our understanding. The boy was one of us in that moment. I could tell from his face.

The woman and the funky man started to take the boy away, and he fought back. The boy was stronger than the Captain, but this woman was powerful, like I said. She threw him over her shoulder. The boy cried and screamed and kicked and the director, he was worse. He was hiding it, pressing it down. He wouldn't look at the Captain, not at the other man, the one with the glowing suitcase. He rubbed at his eyes while the woman dragged away the boy. We could hear his screams forever. The director wouldn't look up till the boy's screams were long gone.

He stepped into his armor. I told the others to go away. The crazy woman was sure to make a scene if she saw what was next. At least I thought so.

How we were watching? We were sitting in the dirt, not far away. There were lots of people here, you see. Where we were at, the people were sparsest. That's why they choose it, the place. At least I think so.

The armor's eyes glowed.

“Finish it Cap,” the director said. The Captain knew the director very intimately, I suppose. He took the director's name, softly, regretfully.

“Go on,” the director said. “I won't resist.”

It sounded very personal. I felt like an intruder. It wasn't right to listen. But we did. We all did.

The Captain sighed. The suitcase man tapped his foot impatiently. There was something about that fellow, I swear I'd seen him. All over the old telly, it felt like. Never mind me.

I can't describe the intensity of what happened then. Like I said, it isn't for people like us. Not to experience not to witness. The “reactor”, is that what they call it? It was a flat, blue circle with metal edges. 

It used to glow while the director's heart still beat. 

The Captain offered it to the man, and he took out what was in the suitcase. I couldn't quite tell you what it was. It glowed like the sun, and the star at the horizon began pulsating even harder. The powerful woman returned. I didn't hear what she said. Didn't seem important to me but for the Captain, it did look like. Maybe it was about the boy. The crazy woman watched sadly, but didn't make a scene. Was surprised at that. I was sure she'd shed a tear at least.

“Demons run and hide when a good man goes to war,” she said. She was right. There was war in the Captain's eyes, even as he handed the woman the bright thing from the suitcase. The man who’d brought the case had vanished. Then they went back, didn't come for hours. 

And the rest is history. We started appearing. Just how we went. Particles stitching themselves back together, like they'd fallen apart. It's funny when you think about it. There's gods walking with men today. I would say I hope it doesn't destroy us all, but I remember it already has.

Most of all, I pity the man who drove the Captain to do it. My mama's friend used to say it sets a curse to rip someone's heart out. Wasn't pretty to watch. Must've been even less pretty to do it.

But look, our ride's arrived. I'll see Millie again! And curses aren't for people like us anyways. Curses are for them. And curses don't let ya sleep. If ya ask me now, the only person sleeping in peace is that man with the blue heart.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was sad, haha. The director is, obvi, Tony, and the woman who carries Peter away is Carol. The "suitcase man" is like a glamour of Howard Stark, the idea for which came from a Tumblr post.
> 
> The arc reactor is an iconic thing, you know, and like the soul of the mcu. Basic premise is that they had to sacrifice a soul to "free" the soul stone.
> 
> Please leave a kudo and comment if you enjoyed!


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